COUNTACH REUNION

Let me be a devil's advocate here. With the crazy values on so many cars, we need to be skeptical. I can't help but wonder why cars with "only" 4000 miles needed a $60K mechanical rebuild.

"with just 7,300km/4,300miles on the clock from new! Fresh from $60k US mechanical rebuild"

It reminds me of the mindless ads I mostly see for many muscle cars....something like: "Only 20,000 miles from new on this 440 'cuda, and subject to a full rotisserie nut and bolt restoration!...." That's why I think the muscle car bubble about to burst. People who fall for that nonsense aren't real car guys....probably just speculators, since a real original 20K muscle car doesn't need a full restoration, and is probably worth less after it since a car is only original once. So they are usually never real 20k mile cars to begin with. It is soooo easy to roll back odometers, or just call a rolled-over odometer not so. Back to the LP400. A car with miles that low, even if it has been sitting 30 years, wouldn't need a $60K rebuild . At most, pull the drivetrain out and seal it up, go through the brakes, rebuild carbs, and clean it up. Maybe $15K max. I know, as I've done it to an LP400.

I could be wrong, and maybe someone got taken and was convinced all that was needed, but what a shame. A truly virgin LP400 whose motor has never been messed with, and is still just like new, would be worth a fortune. What a shame if this car really did have such low miles, that it had its motor, tranny, diff, etc. all rebuilt for no good reason and only to lower its value.

Everyone beware of crooked shops who might do that! I just saw a guy pay $22,000 for a mechanical rebuild on a Mangusta. That has a Ford 302 in it by the way, that could be rebuilt to NASCAR specs for half that! Or $4K buys a 400 hp Ford Motorsport crate motor that bolts right in. Seeing so many non-car guys getting in the game worries me, since they will all run for the door when music stops, causing a potential rapid devaluation.

 

I had to rebuild the engine of my LP 400 when I bought it with 9,000 kilometers on the clock. Lamborghinis from the 70ies are fading away when not used....!

Ciao!
Walter

 

Engine technology has changed since these cars were built. There are a few internal upgrades that make sense. There are a lot of variables to consider regarding how the car was used (in ancient times) and what has happened to it since. If you need to disassemble to reseal and inspect, there will be parts replaced and it may constitute a full rebuild when you're done. It doesn't make sense to do half a job.

It's not a small-block Chevy. There's no good way to do it "on the cheap".

 

No way that is going to happen.

Alberto

 

Some of the expense, actually a good part of it, is in the labor. I recently had a bad leak on the lower valve/cam cover. The three gaskets cost $26.00. Not bad at all, but the time it took to replace it was. I had to remove the air cleaners & housing which was a pain. Then remove three carbs, a smog pump line, drain the coolant because the front cam cover has two studs on it & won't come off until the hose was removed. I had to remove the wing/decklid so that I could sit in the trunk area so that I didn't damage any paint. You have to lay over the engine to work on it.

 

wow, anybody else notice that the C/T is LOWER than the Dino 206 its next to? holy crap thats a telling profile to how low ( and cool
) these are.

( bear in mind i have not seen a C/T in person in years! )


great pics Joe!

 

it's good Joe, tks
i was too busy enjoyng the drive and i did not took any pics, i am going to a meet or 2 next 2 months: i'll promise i post some pics
i have driven the countach only once-twice a month lately, becuase of the lack of time and this cold winter

had taken it out on sunday: a sunny morning and some almost empty nice roads: it feels good
i still remember the face of the child next to me at the gas station: his fother asked politely if they can look at it
i can assure boys still love countach!

it doesn't matter who or where you are when you drive a countach: you get A LOT of attention, not for the shy man
i can assure you that i have never heard a negative comment on it, though

 

I like the red handle, a little visual interest for something that always seems hard to find.

Shiny new heat shield. Repro or NOS?

Nice Jet-Hot on the headers. A big improvement but not original. LOL

 

Anybody who has tried to restart a hot engine in a LP400 or 400S knows that originality be dammed, a starter heat shield and Jet-Hot coating is a necessity. There's not a whole lot more embarrassing than to make a stop in the middle of a drive, attract a crowd, get back into the car, turn the key, and nothing happens due to a hot starter.

Somtimes you have to modify small things to make the car more livable and reliable.

 

Calm Down!!!

I'm with you 100%

Just poking a little fun.

 

Barry's new house (former Johnny Cash) near Nashville burned to the ground today.

Lucky the Countach wasn't in the garage.